Research on Emergent Soil Exploration System Using Remotely Operated Robot

Following typhoons, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it is often necessary to undertake emergency works under the continual threat of secondary disasters. In order to execute these works as safely as possible, it is important to rapidly characterize ground conditions at the disaster sites. In order to achieve this, a portable cone penetration testing apparatus that could be attached to a two-armed, remotely operated robot was developed. This paper outlines the development of the remotely controlled cone penetration test system and the test results obtained to confirm the applicability of the apparatus to real-world situations.